(this is based on several old diaries by me, and some new research as well)
What do a 19th century rabbi and a 21st century congressional candidate have in common? They both exemplify the true meaning of progressivism.
Israel Salanter was a 19th century rabbi
Sam Bennett is a woman running for Congress
more below the fold
Sam (Siobhan) Bennett is running for Congress in PA-15 (more on the district, below).
The Bush Administration seems to have things exactly backwards. Where government should be robust – protecting and caring for its citizens – they have made it weak. Where government should tread lightly, they have made it overbearing.
A long time ago, I wrote a diary called The 25 best things ever said by anyone. My number 1 was from Rabbi Israel Salanter:
Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls, when we all ought to be worried about our own souls, and other people's bellies
Aren't those two quotes perfect?
Sam Bennett's quote is 35 words. Do they not sum up what is wrong?
Salanter's quote is 26 words. Do they not generalize that concern for the ages?
Are we progressives?
PA-15 is the southeastern corner of PA, excluding Philadelphia. The most famous town in the district is Allentown; there's also Bethlehem. This is former steel producing country, a bit off the main tracks of America. Nowadays, it's got a lot of small shops and businesses. It's not poverty stricken (median income is $45,330, and about 8.2% below poverty level), it's got a small but not absurdly small Black population (2.8%) and a reasonable Hispanic population (7.9%).
It's a swing district: Kerry got 700 votes more than Bush; Gore got about 2,500 more than Bush. Its current representative is Charlie Dent, first elected in 2004. As Republicans go, he's not the worst. But that's sort of like being a tall midget. In 2006, Dent won 54% to 46%, despite the fact that Dent raised $1.2 million and his opponent (Charles Dertinger) raised $88 thousand (yeah, a ratio of over 14-1). Dent replaced that rarest of breeds - a Republican who kept a term-limit promise.
Sam Bennett's web site
She is one of the signatories of the responsible plan to end the war in Iraq
She's in favor of development of new sources of energy\, and the jobs they will create (and her campaign is pledged to be carbon neutral)
She's for universal health care
She's been endorsed by 17 different unions
She's the daughter and niece of military officers, and was in ROTC
She's opposed to No Child Left Behind, calling it "a disaster"
She's pro-choice.
In short, she's exactly the sort of person we need in Congress
You can donate at her Act Blue Page